Ten Things
by ladyofthelight101
Summary: We Didn't Know About Ten. Not a list, but rather a series of drabbles. A bit of insight into Ten's mind, set before End of Time.


AN: I'll try to make this brief, but I have to thank **Born2Bbad, Sarah, and CarnivalGirl** for being amazing and beta-ing. All of this is pre- End of Time. If you haven't seen that, you are fine :-) Additionally: wergild, or bloodmoney is the old practice of paying a family if you kill a member as a form of recompense, with a bit of penance thrown in for fun. Andvari's ring is a reference to a Norse myth, the tale of Sigurd the Volsung, Andvari had a ring that produced gold without end.

Thanks for reading, and please review! Reviews are amazing!

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10) He regrets his shoe choice very often.

Yeah, he loves his Converses, and yeah, they're spiffy and all and they go with his personality, but Cons can never in a lifetime, not even one of his long lifetimes, be considered running shoes. Or shoes for mud or puddles or volcanoes or ice. Really any of the less-than-favourable conditions he often finds himself in. Every time he slips on a banana peel or feels the cold seep in through the worn soles, he wishes he had never dusted off his Converses.

9) He doesn't _actually_ like bananas all that much any more.

After his last form, he thinks he's had more than enough for one lifetime, maybe even two. Besides, that whole Villengard thing? The only reason his past self chose bananas was because they were all that was handy. He still does like the occasional banana daiquiri though…

8) He has no idea how the accents work.

He's always thought it doesn't make any sense, re-writing biology, okay, that works. But having an accent from a place he's never been? Shouldn't he have a Gallifreyan accent every regeneration?

7) He really doesn't mind Jack's flirting.

It's entertaining, and all in good fun. Well, mostly. Well, it's more partially. He finds it funny, and a bit flattering. Sometimes a bit annoying, yeah, but that goes for everything, he supposes. He mostly pretends to be annoyed because it's more fun that way. He just wishes Jack would not flirt with their enemies. Really, flirting with the Master? At least this far, he's stuck with vaguely humanoid species…

6) Finding that 3D glasses make void stuff viewable was just a lucky accident.

He was just mucking about after coming out of a 3D movie. He loves the look of them, and so was wearing them around and saw some speckle looking things floating around himself and Rose after their trip to Pete's world. A bit of research and voila! Void stuff.

5) Sometimes, his manic-ness is a mask for the deep hurting that comes with being utterly alone in a crowd.

He always feels the silence where he once had the noise of his fellow Time Lords. Like having a radio on for your entire life, then having someone pull the cord. The silence is maddening. He can never get used to it; he will always feel it in the rest of his lives. How could he experience joy in the face of the cold, white silence that permeates his entire being? The Universe, and all her wonders, is always diminished by the pain that follows him. He still feels that same child-like awe every time he steps through the TARDIS' doors, but it is tainted by the pain of having no one to share it with.

4) The Master's death broke his hearts more than anyone else's death.

It was terrible when Gallifrey burned and when Jenny died. It crushed his hearts. But just when he had just started accepting that he was the last of the Time Lords, _he_ was revealed. And just as he started accepting _his_ presence, _he _died and he really was the last of the Time Lords.

3) He knows the damage and danger that follow in his wake, and he hates it.

But, isn't that how life works? It's a trade off: to save someone, to help someone, there is always a price to be paid.

2) Sometimes he feels that he deserves the pain of his companions leaving and dying.

It is his wergild, his blood money for the burning of Gallifrey. He will never be able to pay it, not even with Andvari's ring. The guilt will never leave him, and never lessen. He will always feel the need to give recompense, and never find a way to pay it.

1) Every planet he sees manages to strike awe into his hearts in its own way.

No matter how many he has seen, it is always as if it is his first time experiencing the wide-eyed wonder of seeing something more than you know. He realizes that no one can see all the Universe's wonders, but he is still determined to try. The vastness of space never ceases to amaze him.

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Let me know what you think, and again a huge thanks to my three fan_tas_tic betas!


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